Buddhist Scriptures (Penguin Classics) Paperback – August 31, 2004

A small treasure of Buddhist stories which I was glad to add to my collection! I highly recommend it!

I have been studying the Buddhist sutras a lot recently and this is an excellent compilation. There's another compilation published by the same company (also with the same title) which is also very good. I recommend getting both of them if you can.

This is a good collection, but you should buy it somewhere else. I kept getting copies shipped in envelopes rather than boxes, and they all were significantly damaged.

This is a thoughtful selection of Buddhist scriptures, spanning many centuries and Buddhist schools and movements. The author's introduction to each of the 60 selected texts are outstanding. This is a five-star book--a great read, certainly for the beginner and layman, but probably also for the advanced student.So why four stars? The one piece I am missing is an introduction to the earliest Buddhist scriptures extant in the archaeological record, and evaluation of their situation within the development of Buddhism as such, its origin and influences. None of the books on buddhist writings I have consulted, including this one, contain such an analysis, and this gap is truly a shame. The origin of Buddhist writing (and of Buddhism) remain shrouded by the veil of Maya--and apparently no one is seeking to raise the veil.

Great reference to have. Being a Buddhist means expanding one’s understanding and not stopping at just the basic. Buddhism is made up of many ways to interpret the Buddhas teachings and each interpretation helps us slowly come to enlightenment as we begin to ponder the interpretation and even the underline meaning from various points of views. Enlightenment can only come when we grasp every way of thinking to build a solid foundation to our understanding.

This is a very useful anthology for students of Buddhism. In addition to highly readable translations of selected ancient texts filled with descriptions and advice; it also includes many instructive fables and tales, including "Maitreya describes the Future" and "A King gives away his Head."Of particular note is the predecessor to the biblical story of the loaves and fishes -- it is the story of how a single portion of alms fed 84,000 sravakas and 12,000 bodhisattvas, and still the food did not run out. hmmmm, sound familiar?

Confusing as all get out.

Thick books with decent sized print and a nice new book smell. I'm looking forward to learning something new about other beliefs